Longtime CIA Officer Resigns to Spend More Time Covering Up the Torture-Related Deaths of His Family

Good news? CIA Deputy Director Steve Kappes is retiring. Everyone on the Hill liked this guy, who basically runs the agency's day-to-day operations, but Washingtonian recently pointed out that his hands are covered in blood.

Like, here's an anecdote:

When Obama's intelligence transition team had visited Langley, it had gotten a pitch from Kappes and other CIA officials to "retain the option of reestablishing secret prisons and using aggressive interrogation methods," according to an anecdote buried in a Washington Post story.

"It was one of the most deeply disturbing experiences I have had," David Boren, the moderate Oklahoma Democrat and former Senate Intelligence committee chair who led the transition team, told the Post.

He is also complicit in kidnapping, extraordinary rendition, torture, actual outright murder, and then the coverup of said murder. Real stand-up guy.

He is being replaced with a guy from the agency's "intelligence analysis directorate," who presumably is not directly or indirectly responsible for torturing anybody to death.

Update:The CIA says Kappes is totally not resigning because of a magazine article. In fact, they emailed us!

"This posting is offensive. And the notion that he is retiring because of a magazine story is ludicrous."

It makes sense—magazine articles never make anyone do anything—but on the other hand if the CIA says he is not resigning because of a magazine article than smart money says he's resigning because of a magazine article.